New Year’s Day is just a day, a chronological convention. The long holiday season is a good time to reflect on the past year and plan the next one, though. One of the things I’d like to think about is: what will I stop doing?

What can I deprioritize, eliminate, delegate, or defer in order to simplify my life and focus on what matters more?

I will take public transit less and bike more.

I will buy fewer clothes and make more items.

I will stop keeping things I don’t need and organize things I do.

I will do fewer in-person presentations and get more value out of the remote presentations I do.

I will write fewer words, but mean more in them.

I will write fewer posts and I will draw more.

I will stop making excuses to myself when it comes to connecting with people (“I’m not good at names; I’m not good at gift-giving”) and deliberately improve.

I will stop hitting the snooze button and I will tweak my bedtime.

I will stop worrying about stalling and learn how to drive.

I will stop racing ahead. Instead, I’ll slow down and be in the moment so that I don’t get as distracted.

I will delegate appointment-setting.

I will delegate spam-checking.

It’s funny when you think of it. They’re not promises to do something new, just decisions to clear some of the barriers in the way. Perhaps it takes less effort to stop doing something than to start doing something. It’s like digging little downhill paths for yourself, so that action is easier.